Charlie: "A friend said, 'Please ask him about a 3-foot putt.'"
Phil Mickelson appeared on the Charlie Rose Show last night. Rose and Phil covered a wide range of topics, from the school system to his rivalry with Tiger Woods.
They kicked off the interview chatting about Phil’s obsession with math and science and his foundation’s partnership with Exxon Mobil to implement an initiative in American grade schools to improve kids’ math and science skills (and test scores — the US is ranked 48th among countries — not sure if that’s in the world, but regardless, it isn’t good). “Space is my big fascination,” said Phil. “I talk about it with my kids every night.”
Charlie brought up that Phil’s wife Amy says, “He’s an astronaut in a golfer’s body.”
They also discussed Mickelson’s recent runner-up finish at the British Open (sorry, Open Championship). Charlie’s friend requested that he ask Phil about a three-foot putt. Yep, that three-foot putt.
“I missed just under a 3-foot putt on 11, which I think ultimately cost me the tournament because it derailed me from the mental focus I had,” said Phil. “I just let my mind slip. I started thinking ahead instead of focusing on the putt…I started thinking about the 12th hole when I was playing 11.
“I’ve got to work on my focus. Missing a 3-foot putt isn’t a technical thing, it’s a mental thing.”
Well, you know what they say about pro golfers and 3-footers when they hit their 40s. As a colleague of mine explained to me at Royal St. George’s, a number of great players, with Tom Watson and Johnny Miller being prime examples, start having problems with short putts at that age.
Meanwhile, Mickelson’s accuracy and distance with his driver have improved, which started in 2007 when he began working with Butch Harmon.
“My misses have gone from way out of the fairway to just slightly out of the fairway,” Phil told Charlie. “They’ve been much more refined. I’m not playing from the trees as much, I may play from the rough.”
If only there was rough these days (at least like there was before the powers-that-be realized they needed to shorten it so Phil and Tiger could win)!
“There’s nobody in the game who has benefited more from Tiger than myself,” said Phil when asked what his expectations were for Tiger. “He drove the purses up. He drove up the TV ratings. He increased the marketing expectations. He raised endorsement values.
“Nobody has been able to capitalize from that as much as I have so I will always be appreciative for what he has done for me, my family, the game of golf.”
In regards to competition on the golf course?
“Tiger brought out my best game. He drove me to practice harder and work harder…Having that opponent driving and pushing you to get better is what helps people achieve higher levels of performance.
“I believe that today I’ve been playing better golf than I ever have. These coming four, five, six years will give me my best opportunities to win majors so I will contend in a lot of them. I want to contend and give myself opportunities on Sunday.”
Watch the interview here. (The Tiger talk starts around the 14-minute mark.)
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“They also discussed Mickelson’s recent runner-up finish at the British Open (sorry, Open Championship).”
Whew! Glad you cleared that up, Steph. For a while there I had absolutely no idea what you were talking about.
Ernie misses multiple 3-footers every tournament these days. I don’t know whether it’s an eyesight issue, a nerves issue, or a combination of both.
@Stephanie – no use catering to these “Open Championship” fanatics. Sorry people, except the week of the event, here in America its referred to as “The British Open”. deal. Feel free to refer to the “US Masters”, or the “US PGA Championship”, we could care less – you are the ones with insecurity issues.
Now Phil can finally drive it straight and he can’t putt. I just hope he doesn’t lose his short game because he is not in the trees much.
That’s a good lesson: Don’t think ahead of the hole or shot that you’re on. Even the best in the game struggle with that, and it’s cool to hear about it. It’s probably true for anything in life, no? You start thinking about that trophy, or even just the next hole, it can sidetrack you unnecessarily. I bet Tiger, in those texts to Darren Clarke, said something along those lines-Don’t get ahead of yourself, man. The philosophy of golf sometimes is the best part.
I also was really interested in how Phil took a “learning” approach to the Open. The Lakers went through something like that too this last season. Midway through the season, they used a new defensive tactic, and the process of learning it snapped them together for a good run of wins. It helped them focus, an older team that needed that kind of challenge for a bit of the season. I think that’s what happened to Phil last week too. Very interesting. You can’t just cruise all the time, sometimes a challenge is needed to bring your game out.
Everyone knows that the secret to golf is taking “one shot at a time”: the challenge comes from trying to put that knowledge into practice.
Back when I played golf, I found it nigh impossible to avoid thinking about my score and what was to come ahead in the round. If I was scoring well, I thought about it enough to make me choke. If I was scoring poorly, the pressure lifted enough for me to rebound.
One of the best things about being a fan of golf is the opportunity to watch – over a long period of time – the same players compete, grow, fight, ect. The young stars of today, if they are good and lucky, and work hard, should be out there 20 years from now, still in the thick of it. At the same time, you get to see their personal growth and maturity – as they go from a kid to an adult, and then beyond. I’ve been a fan of Phil’s since the Pinehurst Open in 99, and to get a chance to see him grow into a great golfer and person over that time frame has been a really interesting and enjoyable. You never know how anyone will react to adversity, and both on and off the course, he’s had his share, and it seems anyway that he has done nothing but grow from the experiences.
@Brian S, very well said. That’s probably why I was hoping John Daly would win the Canadian Open, and probably why everyone loves watching Tom Watson in contention. Gotta love golf.
Well said, Brian S.
“If only there was rough these days (at least like there was before the powers-that-be realized they needed to shorten it so Phil and Tiger could win)!”
I really hope this is tongue-in-cheek.
Lot’s of the world’s best female golfers seem to have a more consistent arc up than what I see on the men’s side (especually with the US pros.) Less erratic play needed and more “potential” turned into winning.
I was half asleep last night, but Rose interviewed a director on the PBS I saw. I seem to get a lot of PBS stations. Good night’s sleep necessary tonight. Want to be in front of the TV for women’s British Open coverage starting at 9AM EDT on ESPN.
[...] on Charlie Rose earlier this week. Personally, I find Charlie Rose a bit dry for my taste, but Stephanie Wei took one for the team and transcribed the interesting bits: “There’s nobody in the game who has benefited more [...]
This makes no sense:
“If only there was rough these days (at least like there was before the powers-that-be realized they needed to shorten it so Phil and Tiger could win)!”
Tiger came out and won a bunch of tournaments right out of the gate. He’s won 3 US Opens. How can you say he needs the rough cut short to win?
Methinks there are some ego issues over the pond there. It’s not THE Open it’s just The Open. That’s it’s name because when it started it was the only one. Don’t be all hurt and demoralised because your Open is just a Johnny come lately, new kid on the block